What If?
by Jack Of Some Trades
Summary: Harry prepares himself mentally for Ginny as Ginny does the same for Harry


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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or the slight mention of the Vampire Chronicles and the song "Ron and Hermione" contained in this story. They are the property of JK Rowling, Anne Rice, and Presto, respectively. What I do own are the rights to a few characters in stories throughout Fanfiction.Net as well as a piece of pie that won't last long if my sister steals it.

Harry and Ron sat together in the Gryffindor Common Room, doing their Divination assignment (or creative writing, as they regarded it) Sunday evening. Hermione likely would have been shaking her finger at them for waiting so long to do it, or saying something to the effect of "Trelawney is a fraud" but she was busy working on a Transfiguration essay due in a month or so.

"How about 'I will be tortured by serpents before being attacked by a lion'?" Ron suggested. Harry didn't answer; he was staring at something across the room. "Harry?" Ron prodded his friend, who jumped. "What are you staring at?"  
  
"No one. Nothing," Harry said quickly. Smirking, Ron looked over to where Harry had been looking. He didn't see anything of interest… the Creeveys playing Exploding Snap, Neville juggling pink socks, Ginny… _Ginny?_ Ron thought incredulously.

"You were staring at Ginny, weren't you?" Ron asked his best friend. It wasn't at all threatening, more… amused. Harry didn't answer. "Harry? Stop staring at my sister and answer me, damn it!"

"Yes," Harry said simply.

"Well, it won't do—Harry, look at me, I'm the other red-head—it won't do to have you ignoring me while staring at my sister. It's a good thing she's not in our year, really, or you'd fail every class," Ron snickered.

"You mean like you and Hermione?" Harry retorted, and Ron's ears turned a bit red.

"Yes, well… anyway, go ask her to Hogsmeade next weekend or something. Just as long as you get your head out of the clouds," Ron said, still blushing.

Harry looked to his friend, then looked to Ginny across the room. _What's the worst that could happen? I mean, she could say no, there would be an awkward pause, I'd come back and sit down. No big deal._

He got up and began what seemed like an oddly long trek to where Ginny was seated. "Oh, and Harry?" Harry turned back to look at Ron. "Hurt her and I'll kill you."

"Of course, Ron, that's to be expected," Harry responded, and resumed his walk to Ginny. His mind was once again full of what-ifs.

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What if she says no? What if she laughs? Ginny wouldn't do that; she's too nice. But what if she just says yes out of pity and doesn't really want to go? Harry looked up from his thoughts, and found that he was no closer to Ginny than he was minutes before. _Has the Common Room always been this big?_

Sighing, he kept on his way. _What if she does want to go with me? What then? Will we have fun together? _He thought briefly of his summer at the Burrow. _Yes, I suppose we'll have fun together. I hope so anyway. But what if she has a miserable time? Hearing no to a second date would be far worse than hearing no to the first one._

"Harry!" Harry looked up to see Neville running over. "You almost stepped on Trevor!"

Harry looked down to see the amphibian hopping away from where he was about to put his foot down. He'd been so wrapped up in his thoughts he'd not seen it. "Sorry, Neville," Harry muttered, as he continued on his way.

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What if she doesn't think I'm good enough for her? I'm not, though. She's smart, funny, and beautiful, and I'm just Harry. I'll just turn around and finish my Divination assignment. Maybe I could ask the Tarot cards if she'd say yes. Harry turned around and started to head back when he saw Ron glaring at him, saying silently "Do it now or I'll do it for you." Harry turned around again and resumed his quest.

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What if the Daily Prophet finds out? Skeeter did all that to Hermione, and we weren't even together! Not to mention Malfoy. He'd be even worse, if possible. "Oh, look the Weaslette is shagging Potter. Trying to earn your family some money?" Of course, he'd have six wands drawn on him in a second. Harry grinned slightly thinking of the ferret's reaction to that.

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But what if Voldemort finds out? He would attack her just to draw me out, for whatever reason he wants me. Not that she's not already in danger from being a Weasley, not to mention the whole Tom Riddle thing. I can't add Harry Potter's girlfriend _to the list. I can't do this. I'm going—_"Harry?" 

He'd finally reached Ginny.

~*~

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Severon is the counter spell to what? Ginny thought. _Did we go over that? _She was doing her Defence Against the Dark Arts assignment, and was stuck on the last few questions. Professor de Lioncourt, though very charming and handsome, was quite the tough teacher. He insisted that they learn each curse and counter spell they could, likely due to Voldemort's rising.

Ginny sighed. She would never be able to finish this without help. Unfortunately, the students in her own year were in the same boat, and her friend Hermione was doing her own work. _Harry's good at Defence Against the Dark Arts_, a part of her mind told her. She looked around the Common Room to see where he was and saw him getting pushed in her direction by Ron.

She snapped back around instantly. _Oh Merlin, he's coming here. What does he want? Does he know I still have a crush on him? What if he's coming over to tell me to stop staring at him?_

She became increasingly nervous. _I didn't think he noticed! Oh, we were so close to being friends at the Burrow! I've gone and ruined it with my stupid crush. It's all his fault, anyway. Him and his stupid messy hair, and glasses, and deep, emerald green eyes that you can lose yourself in… Snap out of it, Ginny!_

Ginny looked over her school supplies. _Maybe if I get to my room really quick, he'll forget. But how could I pick this all up? _"Oh, Harry," she sighed, though to her it sounded as if she'd yelled it. "I didn't say it that loudly, did I?" she said to herself. Ginny turned to look at Harry, and saw that Neville had said it. _Wow, he's close. I can see the green in his eyes._

What if he's coming over because he needs advice? Girl advice? I don't think I could stand it if it was about Cho Chang. But he'd ask Hermione if it was about her, wouldn't he? She gasped. _What if it's about Hermione? What if he has a crush on her and wants to know how to approach her with it?_ She shook her head. _He doesn't like Hermione, at least not in that way. Ron and Hermione, we know that they're meant to be._

Ginny looked up from her thoughts to see Harry standing next to her, deep in his own. "Harry?" she said softly.

"Ginny, I… how are you?" he responded nervously.

~*~

"I'm fine, Harry. I… you didn't come all the way over here to ask me that, did you?" Ginny said, looking almost as scared as Harry felt.

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No, you didn't! Now ask her what you set out to, Voldemort be damned! "No, I was actually wondering about something," he answered.

~*~

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He's going to ask me about Cho, I know it. Damn it, Ginny, why can't you tell him how you feel? "Er… sit down," she told him. He sat, and she resumed. "What were you going to ask me about?"

"Um… okay… are you going to kiss me?" Harry asked suddenly.

__

Did he just say what I think he said?

~*~

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Did I just say what I think I said?

"Excuse me?" Ginny said, shakily.

"Hogsmeade!" Harry cried. "I meant, are you going to Hogsmeade? With someone, I mean. That is to say…" _Open mouth, insert foot._ "Are you going to Hogsmeade next weekend with anyone?" _There, I got it out_. 

~*~

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Is he asking me out? He can't be asking me out, can he? "No, not yet. Why do you ask?" Ginny replied.

"I was wondering if maybe you would like to go with me to Hogsmeade," Harry said very carefully.

"As a date?" Ginny blurted. _Idiot._

~*~

__

Oh, she had to say that, didn't she? "Yes," Harry responded. _Wait, what if she doesn't want it to be?_ "No!" _But what if she does?_ "I mean, only if you want it to be."

Ginny looked him in the eye for was likely only a few seconds, but what seemed like an eternity. "I'd love to," she finally said.

~*~

"I'd love to." _Did those words just leave my mouth?_

"Really? That's great!" Harry yelled for all the Common Room to hear. They all turned to stare at him, and he blushed and apologised.

"So it's a date then," Ginny said, on the verge of giggling at Harry's enthusiasm. _Please say yes, please say yes._

"It's a date," Harry agreed, grinning. He rose to go back to his table, when Ginny grabbed his arm. _As long as I have him…_

"While you're here, could you help me with this?" Ginny asked, to which Harry replied, "Sure." They scooted their chairs together to look at her book, both parties blushing a little from the close quarters.


End file.
